


It has begun

by ShutUp



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: M/M, One Shot, Prequel, mckirk - Freeform, mirror verse!AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-10
Updated: 2014-09-10
Packaged: 2018-02-16 22:06:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2286072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShutUp/pseuds/ShutUp
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kirk's and McCoy's first meeting in the shuttle.<br/>“So, you're pretty useless in piloting a shuttle, Bones.” The kid says and Leonard growls at him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	It has begun

**Author's Note:**

> McKirk mirror verse!AU. it's a prequel to this story: http://archiveofourown.org/works/1892220

Leonard had has payed good money for a hired gun. A hired gun, hitter, assassin, retrieval specialist; a man in his thirties, blond, short, curly hair and sympathetic if an arrogant smile. Mr. Quinn.  
It isn't hard these days to pay someone to do a dirty job, especially if money is no issue and if a certain responsibility and reputation applies.

McCoy is a brilliant doctor from a wealthy family and even after his divorce he still is high society. When he enlists in Starfleet his family mostly turns away from him but they can't take what is his already. And 'his' is his name, a huge amount of money, collected over years, and some of the best connections, going up so high in the ranks of judiciary, executive and legislative that everyone else doesn't even know they exist.

The thing is, McCoy lives in a constant fear since his divorce, mainly because his ex-wife has the same kinds of connections. It was part of the reason why they had made such a stunning power couple. Jocelyn has taken a lot from him though (not as much as he had feared) and they did have physical fights before, sure, but until that point she never has seriously tried to kill him. If she had tried so, Leonard is sure, she would have succeed.  
But things have changed since they went separate ways. A week ago he barely managed to escape a car crash and then three days later was shot at; so obviously he starts to be concerned about his safety and he's too smart to believe in accidents. 

He gets bodyguards after that, and a bullet proof car. He leaves his house in Georgia to his cousin (he leaves with only a bag and a small black briefcase, at night) and continues to live in hotels for about three weeks until he's got his affairs settled. He switches every two days, anxiously trying not to develop a traceable pattern, and one night he enlists in Starfleet under the name of Horatio McCoy (Jocelyn doesn't know about his second name and she'd never believe that Leonard has the guts to lie about this, especially if it includes his father's name.)

Anyhow, he has hired this Mr. Quinn guy to kill his wife. Ex wife.

Clean kill, an accident, fast. Off shore account, money transferred three hours before Leonard sells his ass to the 'Fleet. One night before he gets on one of those disgustingly gray shuttles, unshaven, in of alcohol reeking clothes he buys in a second hand shop. His hair is darker and dirty, and longer than he usually wears it and he walks crouched as if he has an injured leg. His ex wife tried to kill him twice and he knows that she won't give up that easily; if he wants to escape unseen he has to put some effort into it.

His family has no connections to Starfleet and neither does the hospital he worked at so his chances are high that no one who hasn't seen his file will know who he is. He just hopes that there is no sniper anywhere around the take-off halls and no hit man already on his shuttle.

When he enters the deadly metal bin his heart beats fast and his blood rushes loudly in his ears. For a moment he thinks he's gonna faint but he had training to calm himself. Calm and collected, in control, as his father taught him. He passes by the women and men in red cadet uniforms, gets into the small bathroom and stops breathing. It's a body function and he can control his body. He can not control what other people do and he can not control what has happened. His life as he knew it is gone. The woman he once loved, his home, his family. He is on his own now. Completely.

He sucks in air, because he can, closes his eyes, grabs the sink so hard the knuckles in his hands turn white, and holds it until he thinks it's enough. Panic is at the edge and he can feel how he grows weaker but also how the blood rush stops, and how his head clears up. It's dark and he's cold.

When he opens his eyes the light in the small cabin is way too bright, and the background noise too loud, but he lets out the air, he again believes that he can do this. That they won't ever find out he hired someone to kill Jocelyn. Mr. Quinn is good, a friend of his recommended him and said he does his job quietly and successful.  
No one will ever have to know. He's gonna be just fine.

“Sir?” A knock at the door, hard and demanding, and Leonard jumps, his heart rate just as high as before. He growls and clenches his jaw when he unlocks the door and says “What?” rather unfriendly to the lady in a gray uniform.  
“Sir, you need to sit down, we're ready for take off.” She sounds already annoyed.

Well, she's not the only one.

“I can sit down here, on the-” He starts but the woman raises an eyebrow and it's obvious that she won't give him his peace.  
“Sir, get to your seat.” She's smaller than Leonard, neatly tight up hair, but he's impressed with the authority she has.  
“Listen,” He starts again, because if he can avoid sitting in one of those shuttle seats he will, “I easily get really sick, and I have a disease that makes me dizzy and sometimes ends in panic attacks and-” again, she interrupts him though, not in the slightest friendlier.  
“Then you should go see a doctor, and now _take your seat_.”

Leonard stays still for a second and tries again, “I don't need a doctor, I _am_ a doctor, see and if I just could stay _here_ for the flight-” His voice grows louder but now the woman seems really done. She grabs for his arms and starts tugging at him, out of patience.  
“Sir, if you are sick you need to see a doctor but now-” She says but Leonard gets his arm free and pushes at her when suddenly another man in gray uniform stands next to her, looking very muscular and intimidating. A security guard, probably.  
“Is there a problem?” He asks sharply and gives Leonard a stern look. The lady rolls her eyes and explains that Leonard won't get on his seat and that, apparently, he needs a doctor for medication, and then he's dragged and pushed out of the small cabin, and into the tiny hall way. He wants to protest but the security man is already pointing a phaser at him so he gives up. For now. The security guy behind, the woman in front of him, they go back to the shuttle seats.

“I told you guys I don't need a doctor, I _am_ a doctor!” He says loudly and pissed.  
“You need to get back to your seat!” The woman replies fiercely and he's back with the cadets and the seats and the _windows_.  
“I had one, in the bathroom, with no windows!” His voice is higher and faster then usual and constantly interrupted.  
“You need to get back to your seat, NOW!” The phaser is still at his back but he thinks that the security guard won't shoot him now because it would delay take off. 

“I suffer from aviophobia! That means fear of dying in something that flies!” He hoovers over her, his hands moving nervously in the air while he tries to explain his situation. He feels like shit; full of fear about everything. He hates flying on itself but especially when he's not sure if he's hunted down by an assassin send by his ex wife. A lot can go wrong on a shuttle flight and he really doesn't wanna die while flying. That he's tipsy and hasn't had a shower in two days is no help at all.  
“For your ow safety,” She says, her voice raised and it's obvious that she doesn't give a fuck about his safety, “sit down or else I make you sit down!”

Leonard feels the eyes of the other people on him and he can't help his raised eyebrow. He nods slightly, defeated, because he's too damn shaky to argue any longer. The phaser in his back also helps him decide to give up. He tugs at his jacket, raises his hand in surrender and turns to sit down on the empty seat they've been standing in front of. 

“Thank you.” she says, and moves on. Leonard tugs at his belt for his seat, only barely noticing that the man next to him is also in civilian clothes. Adrenaline is rushing through him and he already wants to bolt.  
“This is Captain Pike, we're clear to take off.” A voice says but he doesn't pay attention. They don't give security advice on shuttle flights anyway.

“I may throw up on ya'.” He says to the boy in the seat next to his, more to calm his nerves then to start a conversation. But the boy answers, “I think these things are pretty safe.” while he secures his own belt again. Leonard thinks he looks suspicious, and generally like an unfriendly fellow. The kind of guy he would avoid.

“Don't pander to me, kid. One tiny crack in the hull and our blood boils in thirteen seconds.” He starts and sees how the boyish man burrows his eyebrows. He looks as if he doesn't need a list of all the things that can go wrong, but Leonard doesn't stop, “Solar flare might crop up, cook us in our seats. And wait'll you're sitting pretty with a case of Andorian shingles, see if you're still so relaxed when your eyeballs bleed. Space is disease and danger wrapped in darkness and silence.” He says, side glancing at the blond guy, who seems to be annoyed now.

“Well, I hate to break this to you, but Starfleet operates in space.” He looks at Leonard but he himself looks down at his hands, fumbling with his flask.  
“Yeah well, got nowhere else to go.” He says and takes a sip of the whiskey. Again, he glances at the man next to him who suddenly looks interested. Interested in Leonard. Leonard gets the creeping feeling that it's generally not a good thing to be in the center of attention of this guy; he has a rough edge, as if life hasn't been nice to him and in return, he wasn't nice to life either. It gave him the chills.

“So you need a doctor? The woman earlier said so. What are you, one of those cowards who need medications for everything and a hand to hold on to?” The kid cocks an eyebrow at Leonard who simply drinks more alcohol and doesn't even bother with a reply. The engines start, a loud noise and it only takes about two minutes until they leave the ground behind.

Leonard grits his teeth and holds onto his flask a little bit too tightly.

“Seriously man, you don't look good. Scared, that's what you look, and shitty. Hard days, huh? Well, I can tell you, you're definitely right to be scared. Not only is this one of the older shuttles, oh no, it's also directed by Captain Pike.” A smug grin curves the kids lips up and when Leonard shifts his eyes just slightly he's met with an electrical blue, gleaming.

“THE Captain Pike, number one asshole. The reason why I'm here today, such a bitch. Tricked me into signing up to this bullshit. But I can tell you, he love-hates me. Mostly because of my father who, by the way, was a famous hero in the 'Fleet, but also an asshole. Possibly a bigger one than Pike.” The kid moves and leans back against his seat, feet crossed in front of him.

“But you're right, of course. There are plenty of ways to die in space; not that there aren't plenty of ways to die on earth but space has a few of the really nasty diseases.” 

Leonard wishes he'd taken any other seat.

In the next two hours, the shuttle roaring under him, he has to listen to a rather graphic description of injuries and sickness. He's a little bit impressed by how much the blue eyed boy can talk and knows (he wouldn't have thought him the intelligent and smart kind) and feels a bitter taste starting to seep onto his tongue. He thinks it can't get worse but then the kid also shows him scars on his arms and legs and one at his stomach and tells stories about bar fights and a really shitty childhood, and Leonard wonders why the guy's revealing all of it to him.

In between the kid's words Leonard's phone vibrates in his pocket and he gets it out. His hands are ice cold but they don't shake anymore when he opens the message. It's just one word, ' _done_ ', but he knows what it means. A shudder runs down his spine and he swallows dryly because now he's divorced and doesn't have an ex wife anymore either.

“Not to mention the fact that someone on this shuttle could kill us. Pike doesn't necessarily like me much and I had a brawl with those guys last night; wouldn't be a surprise if they'd try to finish me of now. It would be a really bad fight in this crowded shuttle and you'd probably end with blood on your clothes, or your face if-” 

Leonard snaps.

“Goddammit kid, there's still space next to my wife's bones if ya want to go there. And I swear to heaven and hell, ya're gonna end up there too if you don't shut the fuck up.” He stares at the now speechless and blinking man and lets a growl escape to underline his words. He's really pissed, a coldness clawing through his inner organs and he has no nerves left for this blond and blue eyed infant.

Just when he thought he'd get some silence the kid speaks again, “What did you say your name was?” and Leonard growls again, this time into his flask.  
“I didn't fucking say my name because my name's none of you damn business.”

“Well, I'm Jim Kirk,” Jim Kirk says and Leonard can hear the smirk. He rolls his eyes, “I don't care.” when suddenly the shuttle moves abruptly to one side, and drops in mid air for a few meters. Instantly an alert is beeping and red lights are on; and Leonard's one hand is tightly grabbing Jim's.

The shuttle is moving in ways it shouldn't and everyone looks concerned, panicked and Leonard thinks he has to throw up. Kirk is sitting up straight, obviously alarmed and when their hands are intertwined he looks down at them, then at Leonard and his grin widens.

“Bones,” He starts and squeezes Leonard's hand tightly, promising “Have you, by any chance, ever piloted a shuttle?”

**ooo**

Leonard doesn't know why he follows Jim when the kid stands up and tugs at him. It's something about Kirk that stops most of his protests, and not necessarily caution because the kid looks dangerous and is annoying as fuck. It's something else; something a huge part of Leonard trusts to keep him safe. It's crazy, and reckless, to even put an inch of trust into Kirk, especially after everything the kid has told him, but he does it anyway.  
He grumbles and curses before he undoes his belt and follows Jim through the seat section to the cockpit. Most of the cadets they pass look strained and are holding onto something. Leonard himself is still holding onto Jim's hand.

Kirk isn't smiling anymore when the shuttle shakes and they're pressed into the nearest wall rather violently. Leonard curses once again, squeezing the kid's hand painfully tight and he just wants to close his eyes.  
“The shuttle's crashing, and we're losing height!” Jim points out, looking around before he pushes the door to the small front cabin open. It's not a good sign that it doesn't open on itself like it should, and Leonard's stomach drops. 

Jim moves in, and sits down in the chair of the pilot, climbing over the dead body on the ground.

“See Bones, I told you, Pike's an asshole,” He says before he quickly secures the belt, and looks over the machines. Leonard is standing next to the second chair, still trying to understand what has happened but all he knows is that there are two men, one on the ground, one still in his seat, blood running out of their ears, noses and eyes. They're obviously dead. What he also knows is that the one next to Jim's chair must be the pilot but isn't Pike, who was the pilot of this shuttle when they had taken off.

Suddenly the shuttle moves again and he's thrown forward, the movement too hard for him and his grip not tight enough. He lands partly on the blinking consoles and on Jim who instantly wraps an arm around Leonard to tug him up and push him aside. He falls to the floor, his head hurting and when he raises his right hand he can feel blood. He doesn't have time to stare much though because Kirk is kicking at him with one of his feet.

“Get in the damn seat, Bones!” He yells, holding onto the control stick in front of him so the shuttle won't fall out of the sky. When Leonard looks up and into those blue eyes, he forgets that he's injured.

“Gotdayumed,” He curses and pushes. He stands up and quickly pulls the dead Commander out of the chair, sits down and secures his own belts in a matter of seconds. Then he curses again and starts looking over the instruments in front of him. He checks the engine parameters, and sees that they're not working as much as they should.

“Jim, somethin's wrong with the engines! We lose power, that's why we're fallin'!” He yells over the loud sounds of the shuttle and flicks a few switches above his head to control the energy, directing it away from unnecessary things to the important ones. He probably stole the light in the seat section but he doesn't care at all.

“No shit!” Jim screams back, “Check the controls, Bones! Three axes, something's off!” The kid is still fumbling with blinking buttons and holding onto the control stick when Leonard goes through the rest of the machines he can reach. In his search for what's wrong (except for the dead pilot and Commander) he finds out that the auto pilot is broken, and that the shuttle doesn't have nearly enough energy as it's supposed to have.

“Are you fuckin' kidding me,” He growls, and the shuttle jolts again, “Jim, what-” he starts but is interrupted by a really loud sound. When he turns his head and sees that Kirk is still doing something with the instruments, and _grins_ , he rolls his eyes because fucking seriously. A second later he understands the grin though because the shuttle visibly calms and the light in the cockpit is on again. Jim works on the controls, and then they're flying again, the nose of the shuttle not pointing down anymore. 

Kirk turns his head to him and looks so smug Leonard wants to punch him.

“So, you're pretty useless in piloting a shuttle, Bones.” The kid says and Leonard growls at him, leaning back in his seat and closing his eyes for a few seconds. Jim contacts the shuttle base in San Francisco, reports about their 'slight difficulties' and then gets the order to pilot it to its destination.

“I'm a doctor not a goddamn Commander,” He gets out through clenched teeth, “and all I know about shuttles I learned in a damn shuttle simulator. Mind you, I never really payed attention because-” Jim interrupts him, “You're a doctor, I get it Bones.” The kid gives him a crooked smile and Leonard frowns.

“What's with that?” He asks and Jim looks confused, “What is with what?” 

“What's with the damn nickname!” Leonard raises his voice and watches Jim's face closely. “Well, you never told me your name. And Bones fits, don't you think? Considering your threat from earlier.” Kirk shrugs and Leonard makes a grumbling sound while he gets his flask out of his jacket. Surprisingly, it's not empty yet.

“McCoy,” He says, “Leonard McCoy.” He takes a sip and offers the rest to Jim. The kid takes it, empties it and grins again. “You mean _Doctor_ McCoy.”  
Leonard snorts and growls, “I fuckin' hate you, Kirk.” and they fly the rest of the time in silence.

**ooo**

When the shuttle lands Leonard is out of it as quickly as possible. He sucks in the fresh air in the open landing hall and feels how the sickness in his stomach vanishes. 

“Are you Doctor McCoy?” A friendly voice asks him and when he turns around he sees a blond woman in a medical blue uniform.  
“Yes.” He replies and she gives him a smile. She seems nice and Leonard warns himself to be careful around her. No one in Starfleet is nice.

“I'm Christine Chapel, nice to meet you. I just landed myself, back from vacation, and when I was looking over my work schedule in the hospital I recognized your name. We're going to work together a lot and I thought it would be nice to find and get you; that way you're going find the hospital a lot easier.” She explains and holds out a hand. Leonard doesn't take it and looks her up and down suspiciously.

“Thanks Miss Chapel, but I'm sure I can find a hospital.” He answers but all she does is drop her hand and smile again. “Okay Doctor McCoy, if you say so. Do you know where your quarters will be?” Her voice sounds so sweet it makes Leonard sick again.

“Yeah.” But he doesn't tell her where.

She waits for a moment for him to continue but when it's obvious that he won't she shrugs. “The shuttles to the Academy are over there,” She points at the end of the hall where most of the cadets in red are heading. “Join me?” 

Leonard turns his head back to the shuttle and sees that it's empty by now, the red uniforms everywhere. He hopes to see Jim somewhere but either the kid is still inside or already gone. Leonard decides that it doesn't matter because somehow he knows that he's gonna hear of Jim Kirk again, one way or another, and right now he has more important things to do.

“Sure,” He says carefully and they start to walk. The whole way he makes sure to have a nice distance between himself and the woman. When they enter one of the shuttles he stays close to the doors, his back against glass so no one can stand behind him. He wonders where Jim Kirk is now and how strange their interaction has been, how weird and absolute crazy.  
He remembers the warm, firm grip of Jim's hand in his and unconsciously makes a fist.

 _It has begun_ , he thinks and smiles the first time in weeks.


End file.
